I have been reading our posts for the past few days and I just wanna tell you that I really like the way you write. I envy your writing flair and I really hope that I can have that as well. Anyways, just wanna say I hope that you will blog more often say maybe about twice a day so I will have something to do...by the way, I read through your posts from day 1 til now....anyways do post more often...

Obviously, most of the hilarious Engrish we see in China (or any other places, like our Motherland Malaysia) are results of direct translation from other languages.

Chinese (and other languages) has its own little special twists that convey exaggerated meanings, like how English has puns. My point is, Chinese people usually think of a great "tagline" or something for their signboards, and they refer to the dictionary for a direct translation. That is also the problem with us, people who are trying to learn English as a second/third language.

We should all understand the language to learn it, instead of learning it through another language as a medium. After all, "zhuan mai" is not necessarily done by monopolying the market.

Oui shit. What the hell was all that? They should at least refer to a dictionary or something before printing all those. They didnt realise that it's humiliating their own country with all those. But it's one good thing to laugh at though..

Hi, Kenny, enjoy your post...discovered something in the sign for hp charging...the word "destoried"...the people basically created their own version, maybe shanghailish (as in singlish?)..thanks for the laughs..

hey kenny. i went there last month. i took hell lot of picture just like you did. but my all time favourite was this signboard directing us to the "PUBIC PHONE". there's another one i found in the hotel's bathroom beside the bathtub. they wrote "BEWARE OF LANDSLIDE". my fcking god. i seriously laughed my ass off. the whole bloody night.

one of the funniest chinese to english translation we were shown in our translation class was the translation of dried food (gan huo or something) the translation came out "fuck goods" and it's used in an actual supermarket.

I THINK YOU HAVE OPENED A CAN OF WORM ABOUT "ENGRISH" IN SHANGHAI, KENNY. IT IS APPALLING TO KNOW THE STATE OF ENGRISH IN SHANGHAI. WHAT MORE WITH THE HOSTING OF "OLYMPRICKS", THIS IS GOING TO BE AN EMBARASSMENT. IF YOU COULD KINDLY EXTEND THEM A FAVOUR AND SEND SOME SAMPLES TO MAYOR OF SHANGHAI TO BUCK UP .....MORAL OF THE STORY IS IF YOU WANNA TRANSLATE, DO IT RIGHT. IF NOT, NEITHER HERE NOR THERE..BETTER OFF STICK TO OFFICIAL MANDARIN

suertes:
"the french are just as bad as the chinese - they eat frogs too. "
I resent that. I really do. Maybe that's because I am French; and I do eat frogs: my Chinese wife cooks them, it's a Chinese dish.
Some people around the world believe that native English speakers are terribly self-centered in thinking that every other country should speak to them, and 'sign' to them, in English. Talk to me in broken French and I will answer in broken English, and no superior feelings on both sides. Also, if you think that all foreign food is disgusting and foul, you're welcome to stay at home with your hamburger as a company.
I speak fluent Mandarin; and some English, I guess. Also basic German, Spanish, Romanian; some Japanese, a smattering of Cantonese, Taiwanese... That would give *me* the right to laugh at others' ineptness at languages -- how's your French? But in fact when someone speaks even only a few words of my native tongue, I take it as a sign of goodwill.
Thank God, in a few decades, *you* will have to learn Mandarin; I can't wait, I am always tickled to death by the mistakes of foreigners who think they speak Chinese. Not an easy language, my friend...

These Chinese mainlanders really make us laugh out loud with their broken English :D If it's not for their terrible English, we wouldn't have gotten such free entertainment from by reading their signs ;p

Magnetic Levitation is the technology used by Siemens etc to float the train, I think the Shanghai MagLev train line is the 1st one built outside of Germany, you can laugh and chide at the mainland chinese command of english but you will have to look up to them in these high tech infrastructure they are racing to install in their country.

hmm... ya ya, the English is bad, but bearing in mind that it was directly translated from mandarin, doesn't it also highlight what a sophisticated and poetic people the chinese are...
"Antithetical couplet"
"lines of cantion"
... fantastic, man!

If only we in the English-speaking world used such language:"Buy Proton: The staccato of the campro engine, like iambic pentameter, will reverbrate throughout your soul"

I took a few pix of signboards too when i visited China for 12 days end of last year. Their awful engreesh really cracked me up and its the only thing i look forward to snap on the digicam thru out the tour.

I juz got back from Shanghai. Yupz..lotsa of interesting stuff esp at Xiang Yang. Their LV bags even have dust covers !!!
And their Frank Muller watches' mechanisms are just like the real thingy. Took a few interesting photos too n was juz done with posting them up. :)

omg. you know what's even funnier? the fact that these people who mock and laugh at the awful english actually USE awful english when they comment! so chao ah lian/beng!
so eww, my milk wanted to curdle up and die.

uh hello? dude i think you got to brush up on your own language skills before you go lampoon people like that. i mean you can't actually blame them. english is just not their thing ok? plus all your digs? despite you trying to be all cutting edge and stuff? its so bad it actually falls one short of being lame. so like? go screw yourself, pal.

To be honest, I think they are doing a good job to entertain everyone of us but we should not have laugh at them as they have 99.99% population who learn one language "Mandarin". They are doing these signboard so that you jerks (whoever that is laughing yet could not read Mandarin words and having difficulty understanding it) could visit China without problem looking for "Toilot". I bet Malaysian will be a laughing stock if the whole country is going to convert all signboard to "German" or "French". Guess you need to learn "Be Considerate"

Take it easy, pal. i believe kenny doesn't mean to humuliate anybody. you got to agree that most of our daily laughters come from teasing our friends or family members.

this funny translation happen when we do word by word direct translation from one language to another one. but what puzzle me is their courage of publicize the translation which they don't even know what it means. probably because people who knows english (including the china citizens themselves) not bother to help to correct the mistake.

I just dont understand how you can make fun with those Mainland Chinese's English. You should understand what's their culture and how they were all brought up using Mandarin. Shame on those who make fun out of this.

i couldn't believe that those ppl who make fun of chinese english, do you think u ppl speak good english,i ve been to malaysia 3 times and what my impression is ppl speak creappy english with a crappy funny accent. English is a pretty much new thing for china and the mainly language there which is Mandarin...so how can u expect that ppl has a high leavel of enlgish? and i am sure those native speakers would laugh at malaysia english as well